


To Future Victory

by Pearl_Pilots_In_Chains



Series: Of Tears and Ash [12]
Category: Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Genre: Discussion, Gen, Introducing Villains, world building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:02:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25617046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pearl_Pilots_In_Chains/pseuds/Pearl_Pilots_In_Chains
Summary: Two malevolent leaders discuss an imminent invasion.
Series: Of Tears and Ash [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1050806
Kudos: 7





	To Future Victory

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline-wise, this occurs around the same time as "Making Good on the Matter."

Straton parted the flap of the tent before him, dipping his head as he slipped inside.The interior was spacious, but the character of the space remained one which engender the sensation of suffocation.He felt the muscles about his throat tighten, tensing in response to the imagined asphyxiation.He loathed the atmosphere of the commander’s tent.He avoided entering it insomuch as it was possible for him to do so.Sadly, it was not something which he could successfully circumvent altogether, given the nature of his position.It was inevitable that at times, he would be compelled to pass into its confines.Today was one such wretched occasion. 

He scowled as his nostrils drew in the aroma of the incense the commander continually burned, the scent of which seemed to pervade the entirety of the space within the woven walls, the air long pregnant with it.He had never been able to identify the exact composition of the fragrance, nor had he ever had the interest in inquiring as to its provenance.Truth be told, he preferred not to know.Whatever was responsible for the perfume, it was noxious to his tastes, a vile odor evocative of the charred wood and flesh intermingled, like the aftermath of a raid.Perhaps some soldiers would relish such an aroma.He was not one of them.Though he certainly savored his victories as much as any other warrior, he had no wish to habitually inhale a gaseous aide-memoir of them.

The commander’s back was turned to him, an unsurprising posture.Her figure was mostly obscured in the shadows that perpetually appeared, at least in his eyes, to descend from the roof of the tent, as if they had some life of their own.The small holes through which smoke could depart let in little light to disperse the darkness, and not much more was contributed by the dim glow of the braziers which the commander kept slowly burning at all hours, perhaps, he thought, as a visual complement to the incense.

He cleared his throat as he straightened his form into something suggestive of dignity.The commander remained still, bent over a table, scrutinizing something hidden from his gaze.“What is it Straton?”She asked after a few moments, without turning to face him.Though by now, he was accustomed to her uncanny ability to establish one’s identity without any substantial vocal interaction, let alone visual confirmation, her consistent disregard of his rank continuously irked his pride.He cast aside this abiding bitterness, however, and answered in a moderately polite, if clipped, tone, “Commander Megaira, I have returned from my scouting expedition to the south.”

“Don’t you mean to say that we have returned from our scouting expedition to the south?”She corrected him, her tone neutral, almost analytical, no trace of any particular sentiment in it.This irritated him all the more.She could dole out scathing criticism without resorting to either a flaming temper or a burning cold.It was an ability which he greatly envied.“Unless my memories fail me,” she continued tonelessly, “You did not depart alone.Unless I am to assume that the remainder of your company did not survive?That would be a most inauspicious prelude to our campaign.”Her concentration remained focused on the object of her scrutiny, something on the table beneath her.

He grimaced, swallowing back the retort which crept toward his tongue.“I stand corrected, commander.My entire company has returned from our mission into the southern regions.”

“Excellent,” she opined, without any hint of approval or congratulatory sentiment.“I am glad to hear it.”He found this statement to be rather dubious at best, but said nothing of his doubts.“Give me a summary of your findings for now,” she ordered.

Straton nodded, almost reflexively, before mental chiding himself as he came to the realization that she would be unable to observe a nonverbal response.“Yes commander,” he quickly assented.“Based on the observations we made, it seems that the land of Macedon does not possess the strength to stand against our assault.Nor are the Macedonians prepared to do so.It seems that our measures to hinder any word of the Paionian campaign from traveling south to them have been successful.They are weak and unsuspecting.Should we strike with the force we possess, our victory would be night assured.From what I have seen, my reason tells me we might conquer them before they had recovered from the shock of such a substantial invasion.They would be a broken people before they could mount a capable resistance.”

“That sounds promising,” she responded, as neutral as ever.Her eyes were still fixed on whatever covered the tabletop.He assumed it must be documents of some sort, or perhaps a map.In either case, likely something to which he was not privy.“What sort of garrisons do their villages possess?”She queried.

“For the most part, it seems as though there are no formal garrisons in the smaller villages.Though I do not doubt that there are local militias capable of mobilizing, should they have time to prepare for an assault.The larger towns which we traveled through seemed to possess small compliments of dedicated soldiers, but I saw no force greater than two or three score of warriors in any single town.I would predict that the true cities might have double that, fifty and a hundred men at the most.”

Megaira’s hands moved across the table, raising a piece of parchment to inspect it more closely.“Were any of the settlements through which you passed fortified?”

“Only one,” he answered.”

“Walls of stone or wood?”

“Their walls were made of wood,” Straton replied.

“Ares favor falls on us yet then,” she commented, exchanging the parchment in her hand for a different sheet.

“It does indeed, commander,” he agreed promptly.

She held the sheet in her hand up over her shoulder, as if to ensure he could see it.“Our lord has sent us a letter.Her campaign in the distant mountains is over.She has claimed dominion over the high peaks.She will be descending from the north soon.I intend to have subjugated Macedon by the time she arrives in these lands.We will begin our advance without delay.I will send out orders by the morn.”

Straton swallowed in spite of himself.He couldn’t deny that the mere mention of their lord had a sobering effect.He had only seen her once before.An emissary of vengeance, he had heard her called once.He thought the title was an appropriate one.She was as terrible as she was divine.She was Ares’s chosen, there was no doubt of that in his mind.To think that she would soon be joining them set a fire in the pit of his belly, though whether it was one of fear or of war-lust, he could not say.Instead, he merely responded, “I understand commander.”

“We are sure to triumph over all of Greece with her at our head,” Megaira mused, at last spinning about in a sudden flurry of movement.Her gaze bore into Straton.He stood his ground and nodded, a degree of reverence in the motion.

Though the hue of her voice remained enigmatic, a grey slate which revealed no particular bias, he noted that her eyes narrowed slightly as she continued.“However, I doubt she will be all that moved by any victory we claim once she leads our campaign.It is to be expected that we should be unvanquished under such surpassingly wonderous leadership.To fail under her command would be a thought near inconceivable.”She paused for a second, letting these words sink in.

He nodded to this as well, maintaining his rigid posture.“Yes commander, your observations are doubtlessly correct.”

Megaira continued, ignoring Straton’s words, “On the other hand, our performance prior to her arrival shall indubitably be judged by her once she comes among us.You understand the ramifications of that, do you not?”

He nodded once more, his gaze descending toward the ground, the thought being implied one which coerced him to avert his eyes from the mere image painted.“I do commander,” he answered.

“I am glad to hear it,” Megaira pronounced.“Then you undoubtedly know that if we fail in any capacity, and offer anything less than an altogether satisfactory performance at the very least, than it will be on our heads.We should not allow that concept to depart from our minds for the duration of our offensive.I most certainly will not let it slip from mine.It is in your best interests to follow my example in this manner and keep it in the forefront of yours as well.”

“I have every intention of doing so commander,” Straton assured her, keeping his eyes fixed solidly on the ground.

Megaira revolved about and returned to the table.“On the contrary,” she began again, “If our performance is admirable and the campaign is an incontestable success in every sense of the word up to the moment of her arrival, than we shall have cause for celebration, as we will have guaranteed that she shall look favorably upon our actions in her absence.The blessing of our fearsome leader is a marvelous thing indeed, do not doubt that.We shall enjoy a respectable spot in the domain which she will establish in these lands.We will be able to boast both privilege and power to a good degree.There is the possibility that we might even be granted some dominion of our own.To yield sway over a province is a life that sounds quite pleasing to my ear.It is a future which I intend to achieve.I am sure that you too can envision the pleasant benefits of such a life, can you not?”

“I can indeed, commander,” Straton answered, a grin twisting through his lips at the visions conjured up by Megaira’s musings.

“Then it is in both of our best interests to perform commendably during this invasion.Let us aim for that standard in every engagement.I want our lord to arrive to a submissive people and an intact army.Let us strike with fury and precision, eliminating components before they can coalesce into obstacles.Our path will be swift and merciless.Remind me, Straton, what kind of subjects are ideal in our world?”

“The sort of subjects whose spirits are broken, commander,” Straton supplied knowingly.“To the extent that they realize their abject impotence before those who hold dominion over them, and recognize the benefits of humble servitude to a power higher than they might muster.”It was a philosophy he had learned well under Megaira’s command, being that it was one of which she was a fervent proponent.

“It pleases me to hear that you remember that ideology to the very letter,” Megaira remarked.At last, Straton noted a subtle shift in her voice to a tone which suggested actual appreciation, even if it was only to a miniscule degree.Even that much emotion was a rarity coming from the commander.

“I aspire to place such things within the upper echelons of my memory,” Straton replied expeditiously.

“And that,” Megaira responded, her voice returning to absolute neutrality, “Is why you make an excellent second to me.”

“Thank you, commander,” Straton offered in return.

Megaira was once again inspecting something on the table beneath her.She said nothing to Straton’s gratitude, though this was not unexpected.After a moment, she announced, “You are dismissed Straton.Await my orders.We will begin our victory tomorrow.”

“Yes, commander,” he replied, rapidly spinning on his heel and striding forth from the tent.He took a deep breath as he breathed in the natural air outside of it, glad to be free of the smoky shade.His eyes traveled to the sky above.“Soon, and soon enough, our triumph shall arrive” he murmured to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> This is another one of my HTLJ fics from 2018 (set in my "Of Tears and Ash" AU) that I never posted, but decided I might as well, considering the time I put into them. Once again, since I'm no longer really in the fandom, I'm backdating this to when I wrote it, so no one thinks I'm suddenly back into HTLJ.


End file.
